Stoked for ELF football to come to the Czech Republic. The Lions are hungry to leave their mark on a new league. I don’t think Prague ever had Lions, but neither did Detroit, so let it go.

QB- Shazzon Mumphrey – Mumphrey played at Florida A&M and later D-II New Haven. He’s a 6’3 220-pound QB who played a bit of receiver in college, so if he’s coming your way you better watch out, because he will truck you. He won the Czech Bowl last year and looks to lead another team to a championship this year.

RB – Adam Zouzelka will lead the charge for this team in the backfield. This imposing back was the Czech Bowl MVP last year and will look to continue his success. Plus, he’s got two of those cool accent symbols in his last name (that I don’t know how to put in a word document), great look on a jersey.

WR – Vic Wharton will most likely be the star of this show. The former Cal product almost had 1,000 yards for the Golden Bears in 2017 and will look to dominate this league. They also have their hidden weapon Marek Suchy, who is the all-time leading receiver and touchdown scorer in the Czech league. This duo is geared up for a big year. Don’t sleep on Aymeric Nicault either, a former International combine attendee, this guy can really make an impact on this team.

TE – Usually don’t do Tight Ends, but the Lions signed Eden Thiede Palmer a tight end out of England who can be a real difference maker for this offense. He played in the UK last year and was offensive player of the year. He’s big, mean, and is tough to stop.

O-Line – Josef Fuksa will, without a doubt, be the leader of this team. “Pepe”, as his teammates call him, has been playing football in Europe since 2006 when he started with the Lions. He has the experience a team like this needs. David Sanek has also been with the team for years, making for an experienced front for this team.

Defense- I really like this team’s defense. It seems most of their signings come on this side of the ball.

D-Line – James Brooks has played a bunch of years in Japan and has been one of the best players over there. He may be a bit older (34), but he’s savvy and knowledgeable, I think he can get it done. Jan Stary is another name to watch. The defensive end was second in the league in sacks last year in the Austrian league and will be tough to stop for the Lions. My player to watch on this d-line is Zaire Ugapo, a former Potsdam Royal. This guy is explosive and a hard tackler. He will be the difference maker for this team.

LB – Emmanuel Falola is a British linebacker with invites to the NFL and CFL combine. He’s fast and tough, but has yet to play in a league like this one, we’ll see if he can keep up. Tomas Pazourek will be the leader of this linebacking crew. He led the Czech league in tackles for loss with 19.5 and just wrecks games.

DB – Rogria Lewis will be a guy to watch for this defense. Lewis was a walk-on at Alabama who never really got a shot on the field, but he did win two national championships and was coached by Nick Saban. He’s been coached by the best and has the attributes to be great, but will this league be too much for him? He played well in Austria last year, but this is a step up. His teammate in Austria, Alexander Borkovic, will also be joining him in Prague and they should form a dynamic duo. Lukas Ruzek has been with the team since 2010 and should be the heart and soul of the defensive backfield. Look for leadership from him.

I like what the Lions are building in Prague. They have experience and great athletes all over the field. I don’t see them as a playoff team just yet, but I wouldn’t be surprised if they snuck in. A lot of their season will depend on if the older core can stay healthy for the entire year. If they stay healthy and can maintain production, the Lions can be a scary team to play.